Before Sunset
by Pup-Ashbless
Summary: Lenalee finds Allen during one of his rare times alone and both together watch the world around them as the one between them shifts and changes more.


All its characters belong to Hoshino.

New fic about a romantic scene in current canon (something I've never done before) somewhere, don't know where though other than it can't take place before the past Level 4 Arc. Don't expect any love conffesions. I don't do those.

**Before Sunset** By **Y****ofune-Nushi**

* * *

Lenalee finds Allen, sitting alone outside on the rooftops by himself. She does not know why she's here exactly, he didn't ask for her company when he left the cafeteria several minutes ago after excusing himself after finishing a late meal cooked by Jerry. But for some reason she felt, she's not sure what she felt when he left. Just that it felt a little weird to be away from him at the moment and after finishing her cake (made by herself) she excused herself as well and followed in the direction she thought he might go, and after a few miss turns with no white hair in sight, she eventually found herself where she is now.

It's cold, snow came early this year. The sun is setting much earlier like it always does in early December and is casting brilliant pink and orange colors though out the clouded sky. She admires the view and can understand why Allen would want to come hear to relax and be alone. Her poor younger friend has not really had any alone time since the Inspector from Central has been assigned as a watchdog of sorts to him several months ago, she's not sure why he's not here now doing his job at the moment, probably must be with "That Man" talking somewhere about things Allen and the rest of them are not to know. She's doesn't really care, it makes her slightly sick to know someone from "That Man" might by watching and waiting to find something, anything that could hurt Allen somehow. But she comforts herself with the thought that it's probably another matter they are discussing, and not something dangerous for Allen or else he'd chained up instead of here right now.

She nibbles her bottom lip, she should leave, and it's not fair to intrude on Allen in his rare time of peace and solitude just because she has an unexplainable urge to be by his side right now. She decides she should leave, but she stands still instead watching Allen silently. Finally he turns his head and with a look absent of any surprise as if he knew she was there all along and smiles.

"Oh, hello Lenalee what are you doing here? Did you need something?"

She shakes her head, not wanting to speak, again for a reason she can not explain well.

"Do you want to sit with me, then?"

She answers by walking over, a little quicker then needed, and sitting down beside him. She feels excited for some reason as he grants her what she takes as a real smile (she thinks, she might be getting better at reading his smiles, anyway) and looks out in the distance. She doesn't look in the direction where he is looking, but instead tries to look at him without being too obvious about it. And again she doesn't know why, but she's not worried about it. She's always paid attention to Allen slightly more than most, if not all of her other friends. She thinks she should feel bad about that, but she doesn't. It just for the longest time has felt so natural and it feels, nice to pay more attention to him.

She notices that both his hands are uncovered without warm gloves, unlike hers, and look cold to her. Allen lately has been taking his gloves off more, when inside the Order anyway, he must have either forgotten or chosen to not put them on. His left hand is shaking lightly and she remembers not too long ago he came back from a particularly harsh mission with Marie and Kanda. She wonders if his arm sometimes still gets "tired" from too much use at once like it once did.

Without thinking she takes his left hand into hers and cups his around hers and begins rubbing them gently in her lap. After the first few seconds she pauses in surprise over what she's done. That was very rude of her; she normally doesn't just touch people like that without warning or permission over something so small. She should apologize right away and let go, but she doesn't. She instead looks up at his face, and his mouth is slightly open along with surprise in his eyes, his cheeks look a little red. She wonders worriedly if despite the warm coat he is wearing if he is catching a fever, she then feels strange tingling in her own cheeks and a weird sensation in her chest. She then wonders if she's catching the same thing maybe.

She feels weird, but not in a sick way, it feels right, even though she doesn't know exactly why it's right. All she knows is she's not feeling embarrassed or even the want to leave. She wants to keep looking at his eyes, and she wants him to keep looking into hers.

He looks like he might be waiting for her to say something maybe. She doesn't. He looks at her with a thoughtful expression now, as if he too is pondering over this atmosphere around the two of them. Finally he gives a smile, it's one of his rarest, and it's also her most favorite one, which makes it all the more special to her that he is giving it. It's one of extreme gentleness and genuine fondness; she can't describe it in words, only that whenever it captures his face it makes her feel as though everything is right in the world at the moment, and usually she's rarely that silly to think of such a thing about the world they live in.

He shakes his head as if he's saying thank you or go ahead I don't mind. Good she thinks, because she didn't want to let go, she would if he asked of course; but as long as she can stay by him right now she is happy. He watches her as she shuffles into a more comfortable sitting position beside him with his hand still held captive by hers. The sensation is still present in her cheeks and chest, but it's not so weird anymore. She feels calmer and in control now and watches him turn back, with cheeks still slightly colored, to the disappearing sunset, with the same special smile she loves so much from him.

She vaguely notices that Timcampy is not here and, to no offense to the golden golem, is glad for that. It's probably seems insignificant, but the moment that has passed between her and Allen feels precious to her and she does not want to share it or the memory with anyone.

Lenalee catches a happy sigh before it can exit her, she does not know why she suddenly feels the need to turn away from looking at Allen's face, but it's not because she feels awkward or anything. She's not sure she knows what she's feeling, why she feels like touching him at times even though she doesn't consider herself a really touchy, in the physical sense, type of person, or why she can feel the exact same she feels around her other friends one minute and then be invaded by a range of new emotions she can not be entirely sure of placing when she's with him right now.

She's sure it must be natural though, Allen can be many things, but he always makes her feel alright at her core and whatever feelings she's getting because of him can't be bad.

They both look up as new snow starts to powder down upon them lightly. Yes this feels natural, as natural as the snow falling upon the earth in December. So she decides to not dwell heavily or worry at all about these new sensations she's feeling right now. They'll both take small steps, nice and easy and let the revelation dawn on them as naturally as the sun will again the next day.

They both go back to watching as the sun finally disappears into the blackness and Allen clutches his hands into hers more as he stands up and helps her to stand with him. He leads with a more subdued, but still content smile on his face as he walks hand in both her hands still with her, back to enter the building and she smiles a little more intimately and feels her cheeks tingling again slightly more as she looks down at both their interlocked limbs, seeing his fingers curled around one of her hands more tightly.

She feels her heart become warmer.


End file.
